I’ll say this much about AEW. Every PPV they have, I think, “damn, they’re really making this card up as they go, huh?” and then every match rules. Even with the great stuff going on at WWE right now, I still find myself much more gripped watching a random AEW match top to bottom than most WWE matches. I don’t know if it’s the production or WWE’s terrible history of terrible people or what but something continues to grip me to AEW more than WWE usually.
That said, AEW is looking like a mess lately. I’ve always liked the indie vibe and freedom for wrestlers to do what they want, but every time a Saraya or an Adam Copeland or a Mercedes Mone debuts like they’re going to take the company up a notch, they never quite do. Maybe Toni Storm will. She rules.
I say this because I want AEW to last because I love it. And seeing people like Lance Archer or Britt Baker disappear for months at a time because Tony has too many people that he doesn’t know what to do with them sucks. And this desperate CM Punk footage release feels like AEW’s version of WCW spoiling Mankind’s world title win.
I think hiring a legit booker/writing team who has more time than Tony to dedicate to the show could work wonders.